OTTAWA — A wave of questions from right-wing media outlets, led by Rebel News and True North, took center stage during post-debate press conferences following Wednesday’s French-language federal leaders’ debate in Montreal. The debate, hosted at CBC/Radio-Canada headquarters, saw party leaders field questions from an unusually high number of conservative-aligned reporters, raising eyebrows and sparking criticism from both political figures and media observers.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney was first to face the media and was immediately challenged by a Juno News reporter on whether his campaign was sidelining former allies of Justin Trudeau. Carney dismissed the question as “rather odd” and defended his team as a mix of new and experienced candidates. He also faced a provocative question from True North regarding the number of genders, to which he replied that “in terms of sex, there are two,” while reaffirming his support for inclusion and respect for all Canadians.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh took a hard stance by outright refusing to respond to questions from Rebel News, citing the outlet’s history of disinformation. When a second reporter from the same organization approached the microphone, Singh again declined, making clear his position would not change.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, however, welcomed questions from Rebel News, positioning his party as the defender of press freedom and free speech. While Poilievre has limited media availability during the campaign and often restricts which journalists can ask questions, he expressed support for Canadians’ right to access non-traditional media.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet also responded to Rebel News, though not without sarcasm. Challenged on his opposition to pipelines, Blanchet told the reporter he already seemed to have the answer he wanted, and brushed off polling data by quipping, “Don’t you know my love for commenting on polls?”
Adding to the evening’s controversy, a truck commissioned by the third-party group ForCanada and founded by Rebel Media’s Ezra Levant circled the venue, displaying anti-Carney ads linking him to China and the World Economic Forum.
The French-language debate had already faced scrutiny for being rescheduled to avoid a clash with a Montreal Canadiens playoff game—prompting some to question the priorities of the organizers. The next and final English-language leaders’ debate is scheduled for Thursday, offering Canadians one more look at their potential leaders ahead of the April 28 election.
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